Bag fastener



May 23, 1933.

W. C. .HIERING BAG FASTENER Filed Dec. 8 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l a: gVENTOR.

TORN

w. c. HIERING BAG FASTENER May .23, 1933.

Filed Dec. 8, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 8,??- W7 TORNEX Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM C. HIERING, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR 'TO J. E. MERGOTT COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION' OF DELAWARE BAG FASTENER 7 r This invention relates to ladies handbags having frame members, and more particularly to means for fastening such frame members together.

The usual fastening devices for ladies hand bags depend to a large extent upon the resiliency of the bag frame members for efficient operation. The-bag frame members are hinged together, and obviously repeated distortion of the frame members during the opening andclosingof the bag has a damaging effect upon the hingeconnection, and resultsin non-alinement of the frame members, and, ultimately in poor operation of thefastening means, because of the impairment of the resiliency of the frame members. Such fastening devices are also susceptible to easy manipulation by pickpocket's, as 1t is generally only necessary to distort such frame members to open the bag.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a bag fastening device, which does not rely upon the resiliency of the frame members for proper operation. 9 v

A further object is the provision of a, bag fastening device which is simple in structure and which may be readily attached to standard bag frame members without material alteration.

These and other advantageous objects, which will later appear, are accomplished by the simple and practical construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and exhibited in the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which: I

Figure 1 represents a perspective viewof a hand bag embodying the preferred form of my invention, 1

Figure 2 represents a front view of the bag fastening device shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 represents arear view of the fastening'device, v

Figure 4 represents a rear view of the fasten-ing device detached from the frame member, i

Figure 5 represents a horizontal sectional view showing the position of the elementsof the'fastening device when the bag is open,

Figure 6 represents a horizontal sectional The bracket 22 which is fixed to a casing 23,flwhich may view of the fastening device when the hand bag is closed, 9

Figure 7 represents a perspective View of a modified form of the invention,, 1

F gure 8 represents a rear viewfof the modified form of my-invention, 1

Figure represents a horizontal sectional viecyv of themodified form of invention, an r 9 Figure 10 represents a. side elevatiolialao I View of the modified form of my invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to, 6, which show the preferred form of my invention, it will be seen that the bag fastening device is mounted on a pair. of ;outwardly opening,3 hingedly' connected. channelled U-shaped frame members 11 and 12. Attached to the frame members 11 and 1211s a bagcoveri'ng material 13,,such-as leather, fabric or the like, the'bag covering material being secured 7- in the channels of the frame members'and folded over the outer walls 15., and 16 of. the frame members, to completely conceal said outerwalls 15 and 16,

Fixed to the innersurface of v of frame member 11 is a small plate 18 which is bent outwardly to provide a 'guide slot to receive the vertical leg 19 of a. bracket20. The leg 19 is provided withprongs 21 which pass through apertures in the bottom of the channel of the framemember, 11, the prongs being bent overor upsetasshown in Figure 3, to securely hold the bracket onthe frame member. i

QOhas an integral offset arm,

be of semi-spherical shape ass'hown in the drawings,;or-of any other desired shape. As

shown in Figure 1, the open side of the casing fits snugly against the side of, the handbag. i y

' he casing 23 is provided with slot in which a lever 25 moves, the latter being.

pivoted to the lower edge-of casing 23, (see Figs. 2 and 8). The lever 25 is engaged by ,a bowed leaf spring 26 which constantly urges-the lever to the upper extremityof slot 24,the,spring 26 being attached to the inner wall of the casing;

a Attached to the wall ltfofiframe inner. W 17 7 V out of recess 29.

member 12 is a plate 27 having a horizontal tongue 28 with a recess 29 and a cam nose 30.

In operation, when the frame members are brought together to close the hand bag, the

nose 30 cams over the lever 25 against the action of spring 26 to cause the lever 25 to snap into the recess 29 where it is held by the spring 26. The frame-members are now securely fastened together and may be released only by manually moving lever 25 From theabove description it will be seen that I have provided a simple and eflective bag fastening device which may be readily attached to standard bag frame members without material alteration of the frame members. The manner of attaching bracket 20 to wall 17 by inserting the leg 19 in the guide slot formed by the wall 17 and plate 18 obviously enables the ready changing of a casing of one design fora casing of a dif ferent design whenever so desired. Also, the fastening devices may be made in many shapes and entirely independentof the frame members, so that, when assembling a bag, a

fastening device of the desired shape may be selected and readily attached to the standard frame member.

g In Figures 7 to 10 a modified form of the invention is, shown wherein a pair of inwardly openingchannelled U-shaped frame members 40, 41 are hingedly connected. Bag covering material 42, such as leather, fabric or the like is secured inthe channels by any desired or well knownmeans such as by clamping or sewing.

Attached to the outer side wall 43 of frame member is a casing 44, preferably semispherical in shape, although the casing may be of any suitable shape without departing from the spirit of the invention. The casing is provided with a horizontal semi-circular slot 45, and has attached to its inner .wall a bowed leaf spring 46, carrying a lug 47, the springconsta'ntly urging the lug to a position to engage a bar 48' when the latter is moved in the slot;

The extremitiesof the bar 48 are attached to the chains 50, 51, the chain 50 being connected to a lug 49 fixed to the. frame member 40, and chain 51 carrying a knob 52 tofacili- V tate the manipulation of the device.

' Attached to frame member 41 is a plate 53 having a horizontal tongue 54 with a cam nose 55 andslot 56.

In operation, to close the hand bag, the

' frame members are brought together to cause tongue 54 to enter the casing 44. The bar tion shown in Figs; 8 and 9, where it is maintained by'the spring urged lugf47. The bar also enters slot 56 of tongue 54 and prevents the latter from being withdrawn from the casing, and the bag may now be opened only is clamped or sewed in the channels,-the material completely covering the outer walls of the frame members, so that when the bag is closed the frame members are entirely concealed. Heretofore, such frame .members have been provided with fastening devices attached to the inner sidewalls, such as walls 14,17 of the frame'members, and have relied for their effective operation upon the resiliency of the frame members. From the description of my invention set forth above, it

is apparent that I do not rely upon the resiliency of the frame members; and also my invention enables a bagto be first completely covered and finished with a suitable material before attaching my bag fastening device.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded "as descriptive and illustrative only, andnot as restrictive or limitative of the invention, of which obviously an embodiment may be constructed including many modifications without departing from the-general scope herein indicated and ed claims.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a pair of hingedly denoted in the appendconnected bag frame members, a fastening device comprising a bracket, means on one of the frame members to guide the bracket, ,105

means for fixing the bracket to the frame member, a casing, having a slot, connected to the bracket and abutting the frame member, a tongue attached to the other'frame member and arranged to enter the casing when the frame members are brought together, a lever pivotally mounted on the casing, said lever moving in the slot and engaging the tongue to prevent withdrawal of the latter,

and spring means urging the lever into engagement with the tongue- I 2. In combination with a pair of hingedly connected bag frame members, a fastening device comprising a casing attached toone of theframe -members, said casing havinga slot, a tongue attached to the other frame member and arranged to enter the casing, a lever pivoted on the'casing and movable in the slot, said lever preventing withdrawal means in the casing urging the lever into engagement with the tongue. f

3. In combination with a pair of hingedly connected bag frame members, a fastening device comprising a casing, means to detach-;

ably mount the casing on one of the frame of the tongue from the casing, and spring members, a tongue attached to the other frame member and arranged to enter the casing, a lever pivoted to the casing and engaging the tongue to prevent its withdrawal from the casing, and means in the casing normally urging the lever into engagement with the tongue.

4. In combination with a pair of hingedly connected bag frame members, a fastening device comprising a casing attached to one of the frame members, said casing having a slot, a lever pivoted to the casing and movable in the slot, a tongue attached to the other frame member and arranged to enter the casing, said lever engaging the tongue to prevent withdrawal of the latter when the lever is in one extreme position of the slot, and a bowed leaf spring constantly contacting and urging the lever to said extreme position in the slot.

5. In combination with a pair of outward- 1y opening channelled U-shaped bag frame members, means attached to the inner wall of one of the members to provide a guide, a bracket having a leg positioned in the guide, prongs on the leg to rigidly attach the bracket to the member, a casing having a slot fixed to the bracket and abutting the outer side wall of the member, a lever pivoted to the casing and movable in the slot, a slotted tongue attached to the other frame memher and arranged to enter the casing, and spring means in the casing to urge the lever into the slot in the tongue to prevent withdrawal of the tongue from the casing.

6. In combination with a pair of hingedly connected frame members having outwardly opening channels, a bracket, means on one of the frame members to 'detachably secure the bracket to the frame member, a casing attached to the bracket, said casing having a slot, a tongue attached to the other frame member, means movable in the slot to prevent withdrawal of the tongue from the easing when the frame members are brought together, and means in the casing to urge said movable means into engagement with the tongue.

This specification signed this seventh day of December, 1931.

WILLIAM C. HIERING. 

